Heroes of the Marathon Bombing Named Bostonians of the Year

When so many were fearfully running away from the site of the Boston Marathon bombings, these people ran towards it to help the injured.

That's why Natalie Stavas, Dan Marshall and Larry Hittinger have been named The Boston Globe Magazine's 2013 Bostonians of the Year.

"They demonstrated bravery beyond measure, putting their lives in danger to help save the lives of strangers," says Suzanne Althoff, the magazine's editor.

High school custodian Marshall, 33, was waiting for a friend at the finish line on Apr. 15 and suffered a concussion during the second explosion. He was pulled to safety but ran back to help those who were injured, including Martin Richard, the 8-year-old who was one of three people killed in the attack.

Stavras, a pediatric resident, was competing in her fourth Boston Marathon and jumped over a barricade to get to the finish line. The 32-year-old refused to leave the area, despite being told to do so, and helped to reassure and aid some of the more than 200 victims and usher them to ambulances.

Hittinger, 57, was having a drink at the Atlantic Fish Company when the first bomb went off and rushed to assist an 11-year-old, finding a first responder and helping to carry the boy to an ambulance. The ironworker and grandfather was calm amid the chaos, and despite his only emergency training being some first aid courses taken almost 40 years ago, he helped several of the wounded to ambulances.

"Their courageous acts embody the strength of this city in the wake of this tragic event," Althoff says.

Their stories will be featured in a special 10th anniversary edition of The Boston Globe Magazine, out Dec. 22.